Integrated contact switch and touch sensor elements

ABSTRACT

An input device providing integrated contact switch and touch sensor elements is disclosed. A contact switch and touch sensor can be integrated so that they share a common sensor line, achieving space, cost and manufacturing savings over input devices that utilize distinct sensor lines for each of its sensor elements. By configuring a contact switch and touch sensor to share a common sensor line, a controller can use a single pin to scan both the contact switch and touch sensor elements, rather than using distinct pins to scan distinct sensor lines associated with each sensor element. By using fewer pins to scan the same number of sensor elements, a smaller controller can be used which can reduce the size and cost of the input device, and increase manufacturing throughput time associated with the input device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/475,925, filed Jun. 1, 2009, now allowed, which claims priority under35 USC 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/138,524, filed Dec.17, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/165,188, filed Mar.31, 2009, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This relates generally to input devices, including input devices withshared contact switch and touch sensor lines.

BACKGROUND

Several kinds of input devices exist for performing operations in anelectronic device. Some examples of input devices include buttons,switches, keyboards, mice, trackballs, touch pads, joy sticks, touchscreens and the like. Some examples of electronic devices include mediaplayers, remote controls, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellularphones, etc. Operations performed by the input devices generally includemoving a cursor or highlighted portions of a display and selectingdisplayed items.

As electronic devices have evolved, they have tended to decrease in sizeand provide increased features. Their decreasing size can impact thespace available for input devices and power sources, such as batteriesfor example, to support the increased features. Accordingly, the designof input devices for electronic devices can be constrained by efforts todecrease the overall size of the electronic device and conserve alimited supply of power.

SUMMARY

An input device is disclosed that provides integrated contact switch andtouch sensor elements. By integrating a contact switch and touch sensorso that they share a common sensor line, the input device can achievespace and cost savings over those that utilize distinct sensor lines foreach of its sensor elements, and increased manufacturing throughputtime.

For example, contact switch and touch sensor elements can be scanned bya controller to detect whether an input sensed by those elements hasoccurred. To enable this scanning, a sensor line associated with boththe contact switch element and the touch sensor element can be connectedto the controller through the controller's pins. The pins act as aninterface through which the controller can scan the sensor elements.

By configuring a contact switch and touch sensor to share a commonsensor line, a controller can use a single pin to scan both the contactswitch and touch sensor elements, rather than using distinct pins toscan distinct sensor lines associated with each sensor element. By usingfewer pins to scan the same number of sensor elements, a smallercontroller can be used, which can reduce the size and cost of the inputdevice, and increase manufacturing throughput time associated with theinput device.

The ways in which the controller can be configured to detect inputsensed by the integrated contact switch and touch sensor may be widelyvaried. Since sensor readings associated with the contact switch elementcan adversely affect sensor readings associated with the touch sensorelement due to the use of a common sensor line, the controller can beconfigured to compensate for these adverse effects. Additionally, thecontroller's scan cycle can be optimized to account for the commonsensor line configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an electronic device.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an electronic device.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an integrated contact switch and touchsensor configuration.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a first conductive layer of an inputdevice.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a second conductive layer of an inputdevice.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a third conductive layer of an inputdevice.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a first conductive layer of an inputdevice.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a second conductive layer of an inputdevice.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a third conductive layer of an inputdevice.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of three conductive layers of an inputdevice.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example configuration of an integrated contactswitch and touch sensor.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example operation of an integrated contact switchand touch sensor.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example configuration of an integrated contactswitch and touch sensor.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example operation of an integrated contact switchand touch sensor.

FIGS. 15-17 illustrate examples of scanning processes.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a sensing process.

FIGS. 19-21 illustrate examples of sensing circuits.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of a 15-element capacitive sensor elementarrangement.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example of a 9-element capacitive sensor elementarrangement.

FIG. 24 illustrates an example of 30-element capacitive sensor elementarrangement.

FIGS. 25-27 illustrate an example of operations of an input device.

FIG. 28 illustrates an example of an input device.

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of a computing system.

FIGS. 30-33 illustrate examples of applications of input devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes embodiments of an input device withshared contact switch and touch sensor lines. By integrating a contactswitch and touch sensor so that they share a common sensor line, theinput device can achieve space, cost and manufacturing savings overthose that utilize distinct sensor lines for each of its sensorelements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an electronic device. The electronicdevice may be any consumer electronic product. The electronic device maybe a computing device and more particularly it may be a media player,PDA, phone, remote control, camera and the like. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1, electronic device 100 may correspond to a mediaplayer. The term “media player” generally refers to computing devicesfor processing media, such as audio, video or other images, including,for example, music players, game players, video players, video recordersand the like. These devices can be portable to allow a user to, forexample, listen to music, play games or video, record video or takepictures wherever the user travels. In one embodiment, the electronicdevice can be a handheld device that is sized for placement into apocket of the user. By being pocket sized, the device may be takenalmost anywhere the user travels (e.g., the user is not limited bycarrying a large, bulky and often heavy device, as in a portablecomputer). Furthermore, the device can be operated in the user's hands,thus no reference surface such as a desktop is required.

Electronic devices (e.g., media players) generally have connectioncapabilities that allow a user to upload and download data to and from ahost device, such as a general purpose computer (e.g., desktop computer,portable computer, etc.). For example, in the case of a camera, photoimages can be downloaded to the general purpose computer for furtherprocessing (e.g., printing). With regard to music players, for example,songs and play lists stored on the general purpose computer can bedownloaded into the music player. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.1, electronic device 100 can be a pocket-sized hand-held media player(e.g., MP3 player) that allows a user to store a collection of music,photos, album art, contacts, calendar entries, and other desirable mediaassets. It should be appreciated however, that media players are not alimitation as the electronic device may be embodied in other forms asmentioned above.

As shown in FIG. 1, electronic device 100 may include housing 110 thatcan enclose various electrical components, such as integrated circuitchips and other circuitry, for example. The integrated circuit chips andother circuitry may include, for example, a microprocessor, memory(e.g., ROM, RAM), a power supply (e.g., battery), a circuit board, ahard drive or Flash (e.g., Nand flash) for storing media for example,one or more orientation detection elements (e.g., accelerometer) andvarious input/output (I/O) support circuitry. In the case of musicplayers, the electrical components can include components for outputtingmusic such as an amplifier and a digital signal processor (DSP) forexample. In the case of video recorders or cameras the electricalcomponents can include components for capturing images such as imagesensors (e.g., charge coupled device (CCD) or complimentary oxidesemiconductor (CMOS)) or optics (e.g., lenses, splitters, filters) forexample. In addition to the above, the housing can also define the shapeor form of the electronic device. That is, the contour of housing 102may embody the outward physical appearance of electronic device 100 inone embodiment.

Electronic device 100 may also include display screen 120. Displayscreen 120 can be used to display a graphical user interface as well asother information to the user (e.g., text, objects, graphics). Forexample, display screen 120 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD). Inone embodiment, the display screen can correspond to a X-by-Y pixelhigh-resolution display, with a white LED backlight to give clearvisibility in daylight as well as low-light conditions. Display screen120 can also exhibit a “wide screen” aspect ratio (e.g., similar to a16:9 aspect ratio) such that it may be relatively easy to perceiveportrait and landscape orientations.

Electronic device 100 may also include input device 130. Input device130 can be configured to provide one or more control functions forcontrolling various applications associated with electronic device 100.For example, a control function can be used to move an object or performan action on display screen 120 or to make selections or issue commandsassociated with operating electronic device 100. Input device 130 may bewidely varied. In one embodiment, input device 130 may include acombination of a rigid sensor mechanism and one or more movable sensormechanisms for detecting input. The rigid sensor mechanism can include,for example, a touch sensitive surface that provides locationinformation for an object, such as a finger for example, in contact withor in proximity to a touch sensor element associated with the touchsensitive surface. The movable sensor mechanism can include, forexample, one or more moving members comprising contact switch elementsthat actuate a switch when a particular area of input device 130 ispressed. The movable sensor mechanism may operate as a mechanical pushbutton and perform a clicking action when actuated.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an electronic device without adisplay screen. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, electronicdevice 200 may include housing 210 that may generally correspond tohousing 110, and input device 230 that may generally correspond to inputdevice 130. The lack of a display screen allows electronic device 200 tobe configured with smaller dimensions than those of electronic device100. For example, in one embodiment, electronic device 200 may be lessthan two inches wide and less than two inches tall.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an integrated contact switch and touchsensor configuration. Touch sensor element 310 and contact switchelement 320 can share common sensor line 330. Common sensor line 330 canconnect to pin 305 of controller 300, which can be configured to scanthe common sensor line to detect an input associated with touch sensorelement 310 or contact switch element 320.

The arrangement of touch sensor element 310 and contact switch element320 may be widely varied. For example, FIGS. 4, 7 and 22-24 illustrateexamples of some arrangements of capacitive touch sensor elements thatcan be configured to sense touch events caused by an object, such as afinger, in contact with or in proximity to a touch sensitive surface ofan input device corresponding to the embodiments described above. FIGS.4 and 7 illustrate examples of 16-element arrangements. FIG. 22illustrates an example of a 15-element arrangement. FIG. 23 illustratesan example of a 9-element arrangement. FIG. 24 illustrates an example ofa 30-element element arrangement. As illustrated in the embodiments ofFIGS. 4, 7 and 22-24, the touch sensor elements according to theteachings of the present disclosure may comprise any suitable shape orpattern (e.g., annular, honeycombed, zigzagged, etc.)

Touch events detectable by the touch sensor elements of the input devicemay be widely varied, and may include, for example, rotational motion,linear motion, taps, holds, and other gestures and any combinationthereof provided by one (single touch input) or more than one(multi-touch input) of a user's fingers across the touch sensitivesurface. The touch sensor elements can be configured to detect touchinput based on self capacitance (as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 7 and 25-24)or mutual capacitance. In self capacitance, the “self” capacitance of asingle electrode is measured as for example relative to ground. Inmutual capacitance, the mutual capacitance between at least first andsecond electrodes is measured. In either case, each of the sensorelements can work independent of the other sensor elements to producesimultaneously occurring signals representative of different points ofinput on the touch sensitive surface at a particular time. Touch inputsensed by the touch sensor elements of the input device may be widelyvaried, and may include, for example, touches and near-touches (that is,proximate but without actual contact) of a surface of the input device.The input device can include a controller (e.g., controller 300)configured to detect touch input by measuring a change in capacitance ofthe sensor elements.

FIGS. 6, 9, 11 and 13 illustrate examples of contact switch elementarrangements. Push button input sensed by the contact switch elements ofthe input device may be widely varied, and may include, for example,push button presses and push button holds caused by pressure appliedand/or released by a user's finger in a push button area of the inputdevice. The controller described above (e.g., controller 300) can alsobe configured to detect input sensed by the contact switch elements. Theways in which push button input can be detected may be widely varied.For example, in one embodiment the controller can detect push buttoninput by sensing a short circuit caused by a contact of contact switchelements in response to pressure applied to the push button area of theinput device beyond a threshold level. In another embodiment, thecontroller can detect push button input by sensing a level ofcapacitance beyond a threshold amount.

The present disclosure is not limited to the input devices illustratedherein. Rather, an input device of any suitable technology orconfiguration for enabling detection of input in accordance with theteachings of the present disclosure can be utilized. For the purposes ofthe following discussion in connection with the embodiments illustratedin FIGS. 4-21, the input device can comprise capacitive touch sensorelements and contact switch elements forming mechanical push buttonsarranged on different surfaces of a substrate, such as a flexibleprinted circuit board (“flex”) for example.

The flex can comprise three conductive layers—a top, middle and bottomconductive layer for example. The top conductive layer can compriseconducting pad electrodes forming capacitive touch sensor elements, thebottom conductive layer can comprise a conducting surface forming aground plane around conducting elements forming contact switch elements,and the middle conductive layer can comprise traces connecting thecontroller to the capacitive touch sensor elements, the contact switchelements and the ground plane.

The flex can comprise a multi-layer substrate, and the conductive layerscan be arranged on a surface of one or both sides of the substratelayers. In one embodiment, the conductive layer can comprise a copperlayer coated on a substrate layer, which can be etched to form theappropriate sensor element and/or ground plane and then glued to anothersimilar substrate layer.

Each of the substrate layers can comprise a dielectric material toseparate the conductive layers. The dielectric material can be formed ofa polyamide or other plastic for example. The traces can comprise sensorlines and connect the controller to the sensor elements through viasformed in the substrate layers and filled with conductive material. Anadvantage of routing traces and forming contact switch elements in oneor more conductive layers different than the conductive layer formingthe capacitive touch sensor elements can be to reduce parasiticcapacitance, which can reduce the performance of the capacitance touchsensor elements.

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate an embodiment of a flex comprising an integratedcontact switch and touch sensor configuration in accordance with theteachings of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates conductive layer400 of the flex in which 16 touch sensor elements and a contact switchelement of one contact switch can be formed. The 16 touch sensorelements can include touch sensor element 410, and comprise padelectrodes circumferentially arranged about the center of the flex. Thecontact switch can be centrally arranged on the flex. The input devicecan include neck 423 to allow the flex to connect to controller 420, andtail 427 to allow controller 420 to connect to host interface 430. Hostinterface 430 can be configured to connect the input device to a mainprocessor or circuit board of a host electronic device. In oneembodiment, traces arranged on neck 423 and tail 427 can be formed inonly conductive layer 400 and associated with only one substrate layerto increase the flexibility of the neck and tail portions of the inputdevice, which can be advantageous for assembly of the input device intothe host electronic device. In other embodiments, the traces arranged onneck 423 and tail 427 can be formed in other and/or different conductivelayers and associated with more than one substrate layer.

FIG. 6 illustrates conductive layer 600 of the flex in which groundplane 620 and a contact switch element associated with each of 4 contactswitches, including contact switch element 610, can be formed. In theillustrated embodiment, each contact switch can constitute a dome switchcomprising 2 contact switch elements configured to make contact toactuate the switch. At least one contact switch element of each of thefour dome switches can be formed in conductive layer 600, and can bearranged in proximity to the touch sensor element with which it isintegrated, such as on opposite sides of the flex from its correspondingtouch sensor element for example. FIG. 5 illustrates conductive layer500 of the flex comprising a trace layer in which sensor linesconnecting the touch sensor elements and the contact switch elementsthrough via holes can be routed to controller 420.

FIG. 5 also illustrates the integration of the contact switch elementsand touch sensor elements formed near one another on the flex. Commonsensor line 510 illustrates an exemplary integration of contact switchelement 610 and touch sensor element 410. By connecting contact switchelement 610 and touch sensor element 410 in this manner, controller 420can utilize one pin to detect a touch input via touch sensor element 410and a push button input via contact switch element 610. Thisconfiguration can achieve space, cost and manufacturing savings, sincecontroller 420 can be configured smaller to utilize only 16 pins, fordetecting touch and push button input via the 16 touch sensor elementsand 4 contact switch elements, rather than having 20 dedicated pins foreach sensor element (e.g., 16 for each touch sensor element and 4 foreach contact switch element).

FIGS. 7-10 illustrate another embodiment of a flex comprising anintegrated contact switch and touch sensor configuration in accordancewith the teachings of the present disclosure. Similar to FIG. 4, FIG. 7illustrates conductive layer 700 of the flex in which 16 touch sensorelements including touch sensor element 710 can be formed, andcontroller 720, host interface 730, neck 723 and tail 727. Similar toFIG. 6, FIG. 9 illustrates conductive layer 900 of the flex in which acontact switch element associated with each of 4 contact switches,including contact switch element 900, can be formed in proximity to thetouch sensor element with which it is integrated. Unlike the embodimentof the flex illustrated in FIGS. 4-7, which illustrate a centrallyarranged contact switch in the same layer as the touch sensor elements,the embodiment of the flex illustrated in FIGS. 7-10 illustrates acentrally arranged contact switch in the same layer as ground plane 920.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, at least one contact switchelement of each of four dome switches can be formed in conductive layer900, and can be arranged in proximity to the touch sensor element withwhich it is integrated, such as on opposite sides of the flex from itscorresponding touch sensor element for example. Similar to FIG. 5, FIG.8 illustrates conductive layer 800 of the flex comprising a trace layerin which sensor lines connecting the touch sensor elements and thecontact switch elements through via holes can be routed to controller720. Similar to FIG. 5, FIG. 8 illustrates the integration of contactswitch elements with touch sensor elements formed near one another onthe flex. Common sensor line 810 illustrates the integration of contactswitch element 910 and touch sensor element 710. FIG. 10 illustratesconductive layers 1000, which comprise a composite view of conductivelayers 700, 800 and 900 of the flex.

The configuration of the flex according to the teachings of the presentdisclosure can vary widely. For example, to normalize capacitancereadings among the touch sensor elements, the size, shape and thicknessof the touch sensor elements or the flex itself can be increased ordecreased appropriately. For instance, the second flex embodimentillustrates a rotation of the touch sensor element arrangement relativeto the touch sensor element arrangement of the first embodiment. Byrotating the touch sensor element arrangement in this manner, a moreuniform touch sensing element area can be achieved. In anotherembodiment, dummy sets of contact switch elements can be mounted to theflex near touch sensor elements that are not integrated with contactswitch elements in the manner indicated above, in order to normalize anyeffect that the working contact switch elements may have on thecapacitance between their corresponding touch sensor elements andground. This effect may also be compensated for by the controller viacalibration to normalize capacitance readings across the touch sensorelements. In a further embodiment, to reduce the thickness of the flex,the trace layer of the flex can be combined with the ground plane layerto form a two conductive layer, rather than a three conductive layer,flex. In this embodiment, the sensor lines can be formed to snakethrough the ground plane without contacting the conductive materialforming the ground plane.

FIGS. 11 and 13 illustrate an example of a configuration and operationof an integrated contact switch and touch sensor in input device 1100.FIG. 11 illustrates a configuration of the integrated contact switch andtouch sensor in a non-pressed state. In the illustrated embodiment, theflex comprises a multi-layer substrate including substrate layer 1140and substrate layer 1145. Touch sensor element 1110 and neighboringtouch sensor elements 1130 can be arranged on a top surface of substratelayer 1140. Ground plane 1160 and contact switch element 1120 can bearranged on a bottom surface of substrate layer 1145. Contact switchelement 1125 can be connected to ground plane 1160. A routing layerincluding common sense line 1155 can be arranged either on a bottomsurface of substrate layer 1140, a top surface of substrate layer 1145,or on both surfaces.

Contact switch element 1120 and touch sensor element 1110 can beconnected to common sense line 1155 via interconnect 1150 formed thoughvia holes in the flex. In particular, in the non-pressed state, touchsensor element 1110 can operate as if it were separately and distinctlyconnected to the controller. For example, FIG. 12 illustrates graph 1200of capacitive reading measurements associated with touch sensor element1110 and those of neighboring touch sensor elements 1130 during a scancycle. The controller can detect that a touch input has occurred whenthe capacitance reading exceeds the finger threshold. This can be causedby finger 1170 contacting or hovering near touch sensor element 1110,for example.

FIG. 13 illustrates a configuration of the integrated contact switch andtouch sensor in a pressed state in input device 1100. In the pressedstate of the illustrated embodiment, button press 1300 can cause contactswitch element 1125 to connect to contact switch element 1120. Sincecontact switch element 1125 is connected to ground plane 1160, theconnecting of contact switch element 1125 to contact switch element 1120can cause touch sensor element 1110, which is connected to contactswitch element 1120 via interconnect 1150 and common sense line 1155, tobe shorted to ground. The shorting to ground can cause a capacitivereading of zero or other appreciable drop in capacitance to be measuredon the common sensor line. This situation is depicted in graph 1400 ofFIG. 14, in which the absence of the center bar reflects a grounding ofthe common sensor line. In one embodiment, the controller can detectthat a push button input has occurred when the capacitance reading iszero. This can be caused, for example, by a finger pressing the inputdevice at a push button area such that the corresponding contact switchelements contact each other to cause the short. The dotted outline ofthe center bar can reflect a heightened capacitive reading on the commonsensor line, prior to its grounding, reflecting a close proximity, butnot connection, between contact switch element 1125 and contact switchelement 1120 during button press 1300. This heightened capacitivereading reflects an increase in capacitance, beyond a button pressthreshold level, between ground plane 1160 and touch sensor element 1110due to contact switch element 1125 being moved closer to ground plane1160 during button press 1300.

Due to the nature of the common sensor line, the sensor readingsassociated with contact switch element 1120 in a pressed state canadversely affect sensor readings associated with touch sensor element1110. For example, a capacitive reading of zero can falsely indicatethat touch sensor element 1110 is inactive. A capacitive reading of zerocan also falsely indicate, based on a centroid analysis of graph 1400,that two fingers are in contact with or near neighboring touch sensorelements 1130, rather than one finger being in contact with or neartouch sensor element 1110. Further, a heightened capacitive reading asdescribed above, which can occur during a push button input, can skew acentroid analysis performed to locate the position at which the touchinput is applied to the input device. In particular, this skewing canoccur due to the centroid analysis unnecessarily weighing the locationof touch sensor element 1110, caused by the heightened capacitivereading that is not reflective of the proximity of a finger.

Accordingly, the controller can be configured to compensate for theseadverse effects. FIGS. 15-17 illustrate examples of scanning processesthat can compensate for these adverse effects

FIG. 15 illustrates a scanning process by which the controller can scanthe common sensor line to detect an input associated with the touchsensor element or the contact switch element associated with anintegrated contact switch and touch sensor. During each scan cycle(block 1500), the controller can scan (block 1510) all of the sensorelements of the input device. For push button input, the controller candetect (block 1520) push button input based on the scan data. For touchinput, the controller can compensate (block 1520) for a pressed state ofany integrated contact switch and touch sensor in the input device, andsubsequently detect (block 1500) touch input based on compensated scandata.

For example, the controller can compensate for the pressed state of anintegrated contact switch and touch sensor by estimating scan data forthe associated touch sensor element. The ways in which the controllercan estimate the scan data can be widely varied. In one embodiment, forexample, the controller can estimate scan data based on scan dataassociated with the particular touch sensor element from one or moreprevious scan cycles. In another embodiment, the controller can estimatescan data based on captured scan data associated with neighboring touchsensor elements, such as an average of the captured scan data associatedwith the neighboring touch sensor elements for example. By replacing thenull scan data (due to the grounding of the common sensor line) withestimated scan data, the controller can utilize more reliable data todetect the occurrence and location, for example, of a touch inputassociated with the integrated contact switch and touch sensor.

It should be appreciated that the process described above is not limitedto the particular order illustrated in FIG. 15. For example, push buttoninputs can be detected as each contact switch element is scanned, ratherthan after all contact switch elements are scanned.

The ways in which the controller can scan (block 1510) the sensorelements of an input device may be widely varied. For example, in oneembodiment, the controller can scan, within each scan cycle, the sensorelements for push button input first, and the sensor elements for touchinput second. In order to debounce the contact switch elements, thecontroller can subsequently scan the sensor elements for push buttoninput a second time in the same scan cycle (e.g., near the end of thescan cycle).

Further, the controller can be configured to optimize the scan cycle toaccount for the common sensor line configuration of integrated contactswitch and touch sensors. In one embodiment, the controller can skipscanning, within a scan cycle, all touch sensor lines when a push buttoninput has been detected. In this embodiment, the controller can scan thecontact switch sensor lines for push button input. If the controllerdetermines that any contact switch element has been activated, thecontroller can skip scanning any further touch sensor lines for touchinput during the remainder of the scan cycle. Otherwise, the controllercan scan the touch sensor lines for touch input during the remainder ofthe scan cycle.

In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the controller canskip scanning, within a scan cycle, only the touch sensor lines sharedwith a contact switch element that has sensed a push button input. Inthis illustrated embodiment, the controller can scan (block 1600) thecontact switch sensor lines for push button input. If the next touchsensor line is shared (block 1610) with a contact switch element, thenthe controller can determine (block 1640) whether the shared contactswitch element has been activated. If the shared contact switch elementhas been pressed, the controller can skip scanning the touch sensor linefor touch input. If the shared contact switch element has not beenpressed, the controller can scan (block 1620) the touch sensor line fortouch input. This can be repeated (block 1630) for each remaining touchsensor line in the scan cycle.

The embodiments described above in connection with optimizing the scancycle can reduce the scanning time, and thus, power, associated witheach scan cycle, since they involve selectively skipping certain scans.

In another embodiment of a scanning process, rather than scanning forpush button inputs independently of scanning for touch inputs asdescribed in an embodiment above (i.e., scanning for push button inputfirst, and scanning for touch input second), the controller candetermine whether to consecutively scan for push button input and touchinput based on the particular sensor line that is next in line to bescanned. For example, in this embodiment during each scan cycle, thecontroller can determine whether the next sensor line to be scanned isconnected to both a contact switch and touch sensor element. If the nextsensor line is connected to both a contact switch and touch sensorelement, the controller can scan for a push button input and for a touchinput on that sensor line. If the next sensor line is not connected toboth a contact switch and touch sensor element, the controller can scanonly for a touch input on that sensor line.

In connection with the noise and button press thresholds described inFIGS. 12 and 14, the embodiment of a scanning process illustrated inFIG. 17 enables undesirable scan data to be disregarded. For example,during each scan cycle the controller can scan (block 1700) touch sensorlines for touch input. If the controller determines that the scan dataresulting from the scan of the touch sensor line falls below (block1710) a noise threshold or exceeds (block 1720) a button pressthreshold, the controller can disregard (block 1740) the scan data(e.g., not retain it for further processing). However, if the controllerdetermines that the scan data does not fall below (block 1710) the noisethreshold and does not exceed (block 1720) the button press threshold,the controller can capture (block 1730) the scan data for furtherprocess (e.g., centroid analysis, etc.). By disregarding undesirablescan data such as that which falls below the noise threshold, thecontroller can save processing time and power by not wasting time onnoise. By disregarding undesirable scan data such as that which exceedsthe button press threshold, the controller can enhance reliability bynot allowing skewed scan data adversely effect touch sensor detection.Rather, the controller can rely on the compensation techniques describedabove in connection with FIG. 15.

FIGS. 18-21 describe various embodiments through which theabove-described scanning process could be implemented. For example, FIG.18 illustrates an example of a sensing process associated with touchsensor elements of input device 1800 in accordance with one embodiment.During a scan cycle, the controller can perform a sensing operation foreach of the sensor elements in consecutive fashion. When a sensingoperation is being performed in association with one of the sensorelements, the other sensor elements can be grounded. In one embodiment,the sensor elements can be disposed on a three conductive layer flex asdescribed above.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example of a sensing circuit that can implementthe sensing process of FIG. 18. A parasitic capacitance Cp can representthe sum of all capacitance from a sensor element associated with asensing operation to surrounding conductive material (e.g., sensorelement to ground plane and sensor element to grounded sensor elements).The capacitance Cf associated with an object such as a finger over thesensor element can increase the total capacitance C (C=Cp+Cf) associatedwith the sensor element above a threshold sense level. Timer andcontroller 1910 (which can correspond to the controllers describedabove) of sensing circuit 1900 can measure a capacitance associated witha sensor element by using relatively small capacitance Cp+Cf to chargerelatively large capacitance Cint (associated with an integrationcapacitor) to voltage threshold Vref. Sensing circuit 1900 can produce ameasurement value reflecting how long it takes (e.g., how may switchingcycles as described below) to charge Cint to Vref. For example, ameasurement value reflecting an input (e.g., the above input sense levelvalues) can result from the time it takes for Cp+Cf to charge Cint toVref minus the time it takes for Cp to charge Cint to Vref. Expressedformulaically, input=time(Cp+Cf)−time(Cp).

In operation, sensing circuit 1900 can operate as follows:

-   -   step 0: reset and start timer (assume Cint has no charge)    -   step 1: open transfer switch SW2, close charge switch SW1 (these        can switch alternately very fast, e.g., MHz)        -   Cp+Cf are charged to Vcc (e.g., 3.0 V)    -   step 2: open charge switch SW1, close transfer switch SW2        -   Cp+Cf charge flows to Cint        -   repeat step1 and step 2 until Cint reaches Vref (e.g., 1.1            V)    -   step 3: stop timer    -   step 4: open charge switch SW1, open transfer switch SW2, close        discharge switch SW3: discharges Cint to no charge state        -   open discharge switch SW3 when done        -   repeat for all sensor elements

FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate examples of sensing circuits associated withindependent touch sensor elements and integrated contact switch andtouch sensor elements in accordance with one embodiment. The controllercan configure its GPIO pins in many ways using a multiplexer or switchnetwork.

For example, in the configuration of FIG. 20, chip 2000 includesmultiplexer 2020 that connects the sensor pad pins to capacitor sensingblock 2010. Since there is only one capacitor sensing block, thecontroller of chip 2000 can perform the sensing for each sensor elementone by one. While a generic multiplexer normally connects only one inputto its output, multiplexer 2020 acts more like a switch network; it canconnect multiple sensor elements together into its output. The output ofcapacitor sensing block 2010 can be a raw count indicating thecapacitance of the sensor pad (e.g., the number of clock cycles it tookto charge the integration capacitor to Vref).

In the configuration of FIG. 21, chip 2000 can configure the pin as aGPIO. The SPDT switch can be assumed to be part of multiplexer 2020 inFIG. 20, although simplified for clarity. In this configuration, theillustrated internal pull-up can be enabled and the pin configured asinput. If the contact switch element is not pressed, the pin can be readas “high” due to the internal pull-up. If the button is pressed, the pincan be read as “low”.

Chip 2000 can have a massive switching block between its pins and theinternal blocks. The controller can perform the following steps:

-   -   step 1: if initial power-on, perform some initialization    -   step 2: check if the device host is active by looking at signal        driven by the host; a high signal can indicate that the host is        active, and a low signal can indicate that the host is sleeping        -   if the host is active, stay in ACTIVE mode        -   if the host is sleeping, go to SLEEP

ACTIVE Steps:

-   -   Step 2.5: set timer (e.g., 16 ms) to wake us up (just set the        alarm, keep continue executing)    -   Step 3: configure button pins as GPI (general purpose input)        read button states all together; take note of if any were not        pressed but are now pressed (i.e. low)    -   Step 4: If MODE=ACTIVE:        -   connect each sensor pin to capacitor sensing block 2010 and            record raw count; after all sensor elements are read, an            array of #sensor raw counts (#sensor=16 according to            embodiment of FIGS. 4-10) is recorded        -   If MODE=IDLE:        -   connect multiple sensor elements (e.g., 3) to capacitor            sensing block 2010 and record raw count; after all sensor            elements are read, an array of (#sensor/3) raw counts            (#sensor/3=6) is recorded    -   Step 5: was this the initial sensing?        -   if YES=>store raw counts as baseline    -   Step 6: calculate the difference between raw count and baseline        for each sensor element; store in signal array    -   Step 7: are all sensor element signals less than noise        threshold?        -   if YES, perform “baseline update”    -   Step 8: is any sensor element above finger threshold?        -   if YES, look for finger presence.        -   If mode=IDLE and finger detected, change mode to ACTIVE.    -   Step 9: was any button pressed from step #3?        -   if so, configure the button pins as GPI again and read the            button states        -   if the button(s) pressed in step 3 are still pressed            (=debouncing), then report it to the host    -   Step 10: if finger was down or up and/or button was        pressed/depressed (step 9), send a packet to host    -   Step 11: any finger presence after 3 scans?        -   if YES, set mode to IDLE mode    -   Step 12: go to sleep (16 ms timer set earlier in step 2.5 will        wake controller up)        -   after waking up, go to step 2

SLEEP Mode:

-   -   set button pins and host signal as GPI's.    -   enable interrupt on change    -   enable wake-up on interrupt    -   go to sleep (any status change on buttons or host pins will wake        controller up)    -   after waking up, go to step 2

Finger Presence Detection:

-   -   are any sensor elements above finger threshold?    -   are there at least two neighboring sensor elements that are        above finger threshold?=>Valid centroid    -   count the number of valid centroids that are separated by at        least one sensor element less than finger threshold    -   for device supporting multi-touch: (X number of fingers can be        detected): report if only X or less valid centroids exist for        device supporting single touch: report if only one valid        centroid exists

Baseline Update:

-   -   if raw count of sensor element is above its baseline count,        slowly update baseline count towards the raw count value (this        may take several scans and baseline update procedure calls)    -   if raw count of sensor element is below its baseline count        (=negative finger), set baseline to raw count immediately

FIGS. 25-27 illustrate operations of an input device according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the input device maygenerally correspond to any of the input devices mentioned above. In theexample shown in FIG. 25, input device 2530 can be configured to sendinformation or data to an electronic device in order to perform anaction on a display screen (e.g., via a graphical user interface).Examples of actions that may be performed include, moving an inputpointer, making a selection, providing instructions, etc. The inputdevice can interact with the electronic device through a wiredconnection (e.g., cable/connector) or a wireless connection (e.g., IR,Bluetooth, etc.). Input device 2530 may be a stand alone unit or it maybe integrated into the electronic device. As a stand alone unit, theinput device can have its own enclosure. When integrated into anelectronic device, the input device can typically use the enclosure ofthe electronic device. In either case, the input device can bestructurally coupled to the enclosure, as for example, through screws,snaps, retainers, adhesives and the like. In some cases, the inputdevice may be removably coupled to the electronic device, as forexample, through a docking station. The electronic device to which theinput device may be coupled can correspond to any consumer relatedelectronic product. For example, the electronic device can correspond toa computer such as a desktop computer, laptop computer or PDA, a mediaplayer such as a music player, a communication device such as a cellularphone, another input device such as a keyboard, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 25, in this embodiment input device 2530 may includeframe 2532 (or support structure) and touch pad 2534. Frame 2532 canprovide a structure for supporting the components of the input device.Frame 2532 in the form of a housing can also enclose or contain thecomponents of the input device. The components, which may include touchpad 2534, can correspond to electrical, optical and/or mechanicalcomponents for operating input device 2530. Frame 2532 may be a separatecomponent or it may be an integral component of the housing of theelectronic device.

Touch pad 2534 can provide location information for an object, such as afinger for example, in contact with or in proximity to the touch pad.This information can be used in combination with information provided bya movement indicator to generate a single command associated with themovement of the touch pad. The touch pad may be used as an input deviceby itself; for example, the touch pad may be used to scroll through alist of items on the device.

The shape, size and configuration of touch pad 2534 may be widelyvaried. In addition to the touchpad configurations disclosed above, aconventional touch pad based on the Cartesian coordinate system, orbased on a Polar coordinate system can be configured to providescrolling using rotational movements and can be configured to accept themulti-touch and gestures, for example those described herein.Furthermore, touch pad 2534 can be used in at least two different modes,which may be referred to as a relative mode and an absolute mode. Inabsolute mode, touch pad 2534 can, for example, report the absolutecoordinates of the location at which it may be touched. For example,these would be “x” and “y” coordinates in the case of a standardCartesian coordinate system or (r,θ) in the case of a Polar coordinatesystem. In relative mode, touch pad 2534 can report the direction and/ordistance of change, for example, left/right, up/down, and the like. Inmost cases, the signals produced by touch pad 2534 can direct movementon the display screen in a direction similar to the direction of thefinger as it may be moved across the surface of touch pad 2534.

The shape of touch pad 2534 may be widely varied. For example, it may becircular, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, and the like. Ingeneral, the outer perimeter can define the working boundary of touchpad 2534. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 25, the touch pad may becircular. Circular touch pads can allow a user to continuously swirl afinger in a free manner, i.e., the finger may be rotated through 360degrees of rotation without stopping. This form of motion can produceincremental or accelerated scrolling through a list of songs beingdisplayed on a display screen, for example. Furthermore, the user mayrotate his or her finger tangentially from all sides, thus providingmore finger position range. Both of these features may help whenperforming a scrolling function. Furthermore, the size of touch pad 2534can accommodate manipulation by a user (e.g., the size of a finger tipor larger).

Touch pad 2534, which can generally take the form of a rigid platform.The rigid platform may be planar, convex or concave, and may includetouchable outer surface 2536, which may be textured, for receiving afinger or other object for manipulation of the touch pad. Although notshown in FIG. 25, beneath touchable outer surface 2536 can be a sensorarrangement that may be sensitive to such things as the pressure andmovement of a finger thereon. The sensor arrangement may typicallyinclude a plurality of sensors that can be configured to activate as thefinger sits on, taps on or passes over them. In the simplest case, anelectrical signal can be produced each time the finger is positionedover a sensor. The number of signals in a given time frame may indicatelocation, direction, speed and acceleration of the finger on touch pad2534, i.e., the more signals, the more the user moved his or her finger.In most cases, the signals can be monitored by an electronic interfacethat converts the number, combination and frequency of the signals intolocation, direction, speed and acceleration information. Thisinformation can then be used by the electronic device to perform thedesired control function on the display screen. The sensor arrangementmay be widely varied. For example, the sensors can be based on resistivesensing, surface acoustic wave sensing, pressure sensing (e.g., straingauge), optical sensing, capacitive sensing and the like.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 25, touch pad 2534 may be based oncapacitive sensing. In most cases, the capacitive touch pad may includea protective shield, one or more electrode layers, a circuit board andassociated electronics including an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC). The protective shield can be placed over the electrodes,the electrodes can be mounted on the top surface of the circuit board,and the ASIC can be mounted on the bottom surface of the circuit board.The protective shield may serve to protect the underlayers and toprovide a surface for allowing a finger to slide thereon. The surfacemay generally be smooth so that the finger does not stick to it whenmoved. The protective shield also may provide an insulating layerbetween the finger and the electrode layers. The electrode layer mayinclude a plurality of spatially distinct electrodes. Any suitablenumber of electrodes can be used. As the number of electrodes increases,the resolution of the touch pad also increases.

In accordance with one embodiment, touch pad 2534 can be movablerelative to the frame 2532. This movement can be detected by a movementdetector that generates another control signal. For example, touch pad2534 in the form of the rigid planar platform can rotate, pivot, slide,translate, flex and/or the like relative to frame 2532. Touch pad 2534can be coupled to frame 2532 and/or it can be movably restrained byframe 2532. For example, touch pad 2534 can be coupled to frame 2532through axels, pin joints, slider joints, ball and socket joints,flexure joints, magnets, cushions and/or the like. Touch pad 2534 canalso float within a space of the frame (e.g., gimbal). It should benoted that input device 2530 may additionally include a combination ofjoints such as a pivot/translating joint, pivot/flexure joint,pivot/ball and socket joint, translating/flexure joint, and the like toincrease the range of movement (e.g., increase the degree of freedom).

When moved, touch pad 2534 can be configured to actuate a movementdetector circuit that generates one or more signals. The circuit maygenerally include one or more movement detectors such as switches,sensors, encoders, and the like.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 25, touch pad 2534 can be part ofa depressible platform. The touch pad can operate as a button andperform one or more mechanical clicking actions. Multiple functions orthe same function of the device may be accessed by depressing the touchpad 2534 in different locations. A movement detector signals that touchpad 2534 has been depressed, and touch pad 2534 signals a location onthe platform that has been touched. By combining both the movementdetector signals and touch pad signals, touch pad 2534 acts likemultiple buttons such that depressing the touch pad at differentlocations corresponds to different buttons. As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27,according to one embodiment touch pad 2534 can be capable of movingbetween an upright position (FIG. 26) and a depressed position (FIG. 27)when a requisite amount of force from finger 2538, palm, hand or otherobject is applied to touch pad 2534. Touch pad 2534 can be spring biasedin the upright position, as for example through a spring member. Touchpad 2534 moves to the depressed position when the spring bias isovercome by an object pressing on touch pad 2534.

As shown in FIG. 26, touch pad 2534 generates tracking signals when anobject such as a user's finger is moved over the top surface of thetouch pad in the x, y plane. As shown in FIG. 27, in the depressedposition (z direction), touch pad 2534 generates positional informationand a movement indicator generates a signal indicating that touch pad2534 has moved. The positional information and the movement indicationcan be combined to form a button command. Different button commands orthe same button command can correspond to depressing touch pad 2534 indifferent locations. The button commands may be used for variousfunctionalities including, but not limited to, making selections orissuing commands associated with operating an electronic device. Forexample, in the case of a music player, the button commands may beassociated with opening a menu, playing a song, fast forwarding a song,seeking through a menu and the like.

To elaborate, touch pad 2534 can be configured to actuate a movementdetector, which together with the touch pad positional information, canform a button command when touch pad 2534 is moved to the depressedposition. The movement detector can be located within frame 2532 andcoupled to touch pad 2534 and/or frame 2532. The movement detector maybe any combination of switches and sensors. Switches can be generallyconfigured to provide pulsed or binary data such as activate (on) ordeactivate (off). For example, an underside portion of touch pad 2534can be configured to contact or engage (and thus activate) a switch whenthe user presses on touch pad 2534. The sensors, on the other hand, canbe generally configured to provide continuous or analog data. Forexample, the sensor can be configured to measure the position or theamount of tilt of touch pad 2534 relative to the frame when a userpresses on the touch pad 2534. Any suitable mechanical, electricaland/or optical switch or sensor may be used. For example, tact switches,force sensitive resistors, pressure sensors, proximity sensors, and thelike may be used. In some case, the spring bias for placing touch pad2534 in the upright position may be provided by a movement detector thatincludes a spring action. In other embodiments, input device 2530 caninclude one or more movement detectors in various locations positionedunder and/or above touch pad 2534 to form button commands associatedwith the particular locations in which the movement detector isactuated. Touch pad 2534 may can also be configured to provide a forcefeedback response.

FIG. 28 illustrates a simplified perspective diagram of input device2570. Like the input device shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 25-27, thisinput device 2570 incorporates the functionality of one or more buttonsdirectly into touch pad 2572, i.e., the touch pad acts like a button. Inthis embodiment, however, touch pad 2572 can be divided into a pluralityof independent and spatially distinct button zones 2574. Button zones2574 may represent regions of the touch pad 2572 that can be moved by auser to implement distinct button functions or the same button function.The dotted lines may represent areas of touch pad 2572 that make up anindividual button zone. Any number of button zones may be used, forexample, two or more, four, eight, etc. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 28, touch pad 2572 may include four button zones 2574 (i.e., zonesA-D).

As should be appreciated, the button functions generated by pressing oneach button zone may include selecting an item on the screen, opening afile or document, executing instructions, starting a program, viewing amenu, and/or the like. The button functions may also include functionsthat make it easier to navigate through the electronic system, as forexample, zoom, scroll, open different menus, home the input pointer,perform keyboard related actions such as enter, delete, insert, pageup/down, and the like. In the case of a music player, one of the buttonzones may be used to access a menu on the display screen, a secondbutton zone may be used to seek forward through a list of songs or fastforward through a currently playing song, a third button zone may beused to seek backwards through a list of songs or fast rearward througha currently playing song, and a fourth button zone may be used to pauseor stop a song that may be in the process of being played.

To elaborate, touch pad 2572 can be capable of moving relative to frame2576 so as to create a clicking action. Frame 2576 can be formed from asingle component or a combination of assembled components. The clickingaction can actuate a movement detector contained inside frame 2576. Themovement detector can be configured to sense movements of the buttonzones during the clicking action and to send a signal corresponding tothe movement to the electronic device. For example, the movementdetectors may be switches, sensors and/or the like.

In addition, touch pad 2572 can be configured to send positionalinformation on what button zone may be acted on when the clicking actionoccurs. The positional information can allow the device to determinewhich button zone to activate when the touch pad is moved relative tothe frame.

The movements of each of button zones 2574 may be provided by variousrotations, pivots, translations, flexes and the like. In one embodiment,touch pad 2572 can be configured to gimbal relative to frame 2576. Bygimbal, it is generally meant that the touch pad 2572 can float in spacerelative to frame 2576 while still being constrained thereto. The gimbalcan allow the touch pad 2572 to move in single or multiple degrees offreedom (DOF) relative to the housing, for example, movements in the x,y and/or z directions and/or rotations about the x, y, and/or z axes(θxθyθz).

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of a simplified block diagram of acomputing system 2539. The computing system may generally include inputdevice 2540 operatively connected to computing device 2542. For example,input device 2540 can generally correspond to input device 2530 shown inFIGS. 25-27, and the computing device 2542 can correspond to a computer,PDA, media player or the like. As shown, input device 2540 may includedepressible touch pad 2544 and one or more movement detectors 2546.Touch pad 2544 can be configured to generate tracking signals andmovement detector 2546 can be configured to generate a movement signalwhen the touch pad is depressed. Although touch pad 2544 may be widelyvaried, in this embodiment, touch pad 2544 can include capacitancesensors 2548 and control system 2550 (which can generally correspond tothe controllers described above) for acquiring position signals fromsensors 2548 and supplying the signals to computing device 2542. Controlsystem 2550 can include an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) that can be configured to monitor the signals from sensors 2548,to compute the absolute location, angular location, direction, speedand/or acceleration of the monitored signals and to report thisinformation to a processor of computing device 2542. Movement detector2546 may also be widely varied. In this embodiment, however, movementdetector 2546 can take the form of a switch that generates a movementsignal when touch pad 2544 is depressed. Movement detector 2546 cancorrespond to a mechanical, electrical or optical style switch. In oneparticular implementation, movement detector 2546 can be a mechanicalstyle switch that includes protruding actuator 2552 that may be pushedby touch pad 2544 to generate the movement signal. For example, theswitch may be a tact or dome switch.

Both touch pad 2544 and movement detector 2546 can be operativelycoupled to computing device 2542 through communication interface 2554.The communication interface provides a connection point for direct orindirect connection between the input device and the electronic device.Communication interface 2554 may be wired (wires, cables, connectors) orwireless (e.g., transmitter/receiver).

Referring to computing device 2542, it may include processor 2557 (e.g.,CPU or microprocessor) configured to execute instructions and to carryout operations associated with computing device 2542. For example, usinginstructions retrieved from memory, the processor can control thereception and manipulation of input and output data between componentsof computing device 2542. Processor 2557 can be configured to receiveinput from both movement detector 2546 and touch pad 2544 and can form asignal/command that may be dependent upon both of these inputs. In mostcases, processor 2557 can execute instruction under the control of anoperating system or other software. Processor 2557 may be a single-chipprocessor or may be implemented with multiple components.

Computing device 2542 may also include input/output (I/O) controller2556 that can be operatively coupled to processor 2557. (I/O) controller2556 can be integrated with processor 2557 or it may be a separatecomponent as shown. I/O controller 2556 can generally be configured tocontrol interactions with one or more I/O devices that may be coupled tothe computing device 2542, as for example input device 2540 andorientation detector 2555, such as an accelerometer. I/O controller 2556can generally operate by exchanging data between computing device 2542and I/O devices that desire to communicate with computing device 2542.

Computing device 2542 may also include display controller 2558 that canbe operatively coupled to processor 2557. Display controller 2558 can beintegrated with processor 2557 or it may be a separate component asshown. Display controller 2558 can be configured to process displaycommands to produce text and graphics on display screen 2560. Forexample, display screen 2560 may be a monochrome display, color graphicsadapter (CGA) display, enhanced graphics adapter (EGA) display,variable-graphics-array (VGA) display, super VGA display, liquid crystaldisplay (e.g., active matrix, passive matrix and the like), cathode raytube (CRT), plasma displays and the like. In the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 29, the display device corresponds to a liquid crystal display(LCD).

In some cases, processor 2557 together with an operating system operatesto execute computer code and produce and use data. The computer code anddata can reside within program storage area 2562 that may be operativelycoupled to processor 2557. Program storage area 2562 can generallyprovide a place to hold data that may be used by computing device 2542.For example, the program storage area may include Read-Only Memory(ROM), Random-Access Memory (RAM), hard disk drive and/or the like. Thecomputer code and data could also reside on a removable program mediumand loaded or installed onto the computing device when needed. In oneembodiment, program storage area 2562 can be configured to storeinformation for controlling how the tracking and movement signalsgenerated by the input device may be used, either alone or incombination for example, by computing device 2542 to generate an inputevent command, such as a single button press for example.

FIGS. 30-33 illustrate applications of an input device according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. As previously mentioned, theinput devices described herein can be integrated into an electronicdevice or they can be separate stand alone devices. FIGS. 30-33 showsome implementations of input device 2520 integrated into an electronicdevice. FIG. 30 shows input device 2520 incorporated into media player2512. FIG. 31 shows input device 2520 incorporated into laptop computer2514. FIGS. 32 and 33, on the other hand, show some implementations ofinput device 2520 as a stand alone unit. FIG. 32 shows input device 2520as a peripheral device that can be connected to desktop computer 2516.FIG. 33 shows input device 2520 as a remote control that wirelesslyconnects to docking station 2518 with media player 2512 docked therein.It should be noted, however, that in some embodiments the remote controlcan also be configured to interact with the media player (or otherelectronic device) directly, thereby eliminating the need for a dockingstation. It should be noted that these particular embodiments do notlimit the present disclosure and that many other devices andconfigurations may be used.

Referring back to FIG. 30, media player 2512, housing 2522 and displayscreen 2524 may generally correspond to those described above. Asillustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 30, display screen 2524 can bevisible to a user of media player 2512 through opening 2525 in housing2522 and through transparent wall 2526 disposed in front of opening2525. Although transparent, transparent wall 2526 can be considered partof housing 2522 since it helps to define the shape or form of mediaplayer 2512.

Media player 2512 may also include touch pad 2520 such as any of thosepreviously described. Touch pad 2520 can generally consist of touchableouter surface 2531 for receiving a finger for manipulation on touch pad2520. Although not illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 30, beneathtouchable outer surface 2531 a sensor arrangement can be configured in amanner as previously described. Information provided by the sensorarrangement can be used by media player 2512 to perform the desiredcontrol function on display screen 2524. For example, a user may easilyscroll through a list of songs by swirling the finger around touch pad2520.

In addition to above, the touch pad may also include one or more movablebuttons zones A-D as well as a center button E for example. The buttonzones can be configured to provide one or more dedicated controlfunctions for making selections or issuing commands associated withoperating media player 2512. For example, in the case of an MP3 musicplayer, the button functions can be associated with opening a menu,playing a song, fast forwarding a song, seeking through a menu, makingselections and the like. In some embodiments, the button functions canbe implemented via a mechanical clicking action.

The position of touch pad 2520 relative to housing 2522 may be widelyvaried. For example, touch pad 2520 can be placed at any surface (e.g.,top, side, front, or back) of housing 2522 accessible to a user duringmanipulation of media player 2512. In some embodiments, touch sensitivesurface 2531 of touch pad 2520 can be completely exposed to the user. Inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 30, touch pad 2520 can be located ina lower front area of housing 2522. Furthermore, touch pad 2520 can berecessed below, level with, or extend above the surface of housing 2522.In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 30, touch sensitive surface 2531of touch pad 2520 can be substantially flush with an external surface ofhousing 2522.

The shape of touch pad 2520 may also be widely varied. Althoughillustrated as circular in the embodiment of FIG. 30, the touch pad canalso be square, rectangular, triangular, and the like for example. Moreparticularly, the touch pad can be annular, i.e., shaped like or forminga ring. As such, the inner and outer perimeter of the touch pad candefine the working boundary of the touch pad.

It will be appreciated that the above description for clarity hasdescribed embodiments of the disclosure with reference to differentfunctional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that anysuitable distribution of functionality between different functionalunits or processors may be used without detracting from the disclosure.For example, functionality illustrated to be performed by separateprocessors or controllers may be performed by the same processors orcontrollers. Hence, references to specific functional units may be seenas references to suitable means for providing the describedfunctionality rather than indicative of a strict logical or physicalstructure or organization.

The disclosure may be implemented in any suitable form, includinghardware, software, firmware, or any combination of these. Thedisclosure may optionally be implemented partly as computer softwarerunning on one or more data processors and/or digital signal processors.The elements and components of an embodiment of the disclosure may bephysically, functionally, and logically implemented in any suitable way.Indeed, the functionality may be implemented in a single unit, in aplurality of units, or as part of other functional units. As such, thedisclosure may be implemented in a single unit or may be physically andfunctionally distributed between different units and processors.

One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that many possiblemodifications and combinations of the disclosed embodiments can be used,while still employing the same basic underlying mechanisms andmethodologies. The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation,has been written with references to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modificationsand variations can be possible in view of the above teachings. Theembodiments were chosen and described to explain the principles of thedisclosure and their practical applications, and to enable othersskilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and variousembodiments with various modifications as suited to the particular usecontemplated.

Further, while this specification contains many specifics, these shouldnot be construed as limitations on the scope of what is being claimed orof what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specificto particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in thisspecification in the context of separate embodiments can also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment canalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be describedabove as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed assuch, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some casesbe excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

What is claimed is:
 1. An input device comprising: a substratecomprising a first surface and a second surface, a touch sensor elementarranged on the first surface of the substrate, a contact switch elementarranged on the second surface of the substrate, a common sensor lineconnected to the touch sensor element and the contact switch element,and a controller configured to scan the common sensor line to detect aninput associated with the touch sensor element or the contact switchelement.
 2. The input device of claim 1, wherein the controller isconfigured to perform, within a scan cycle, a first scan of the commonsensor line for push button input and a second scan of the common sensorline for touch input.
 3. The input device of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is configured to detect the input associated with the touchsensor element based on a capacitance scanned on the common sensor line.4. The input device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured todetect the input associated with the contact switch element based on ahigh voltage level or a low voltage level scanned on the common sensorline.
 5. The input device of claim 1, wherein the controller isconfigured to detect the input associated with the contact switchelement based on a capacitance scanned on the common sensor line.
 6. Theinput device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor element is alignedwith the contact switch element on opposite sides of the substrate. 7.The input device of claim 1, wherein the contact switch element isassociated with a mechanical push button.
 8. An input device comprising:a substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface, one or moresensor elements of a first type arranged on the first surface of thesubstrate, one or more sensor elements of a second type arranged on thesecond surface of the substrate, and a controller interface comprisingmultiple pins, wherein one of the pins is connected to one of the sensorelements of the first type and one of the sensor elements of the secondtype.
 9. The input device of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensorelements of the first type are touch sensor elements, and the one ormore sensor elements of the second type are contact switch elements. 10.The input device of claim 9, wherein the substrate comprises amulti-layer substrate, and the one or more touch sensor elements arearranged on a first layer of the multi-layer substrate.
 11. The inputdevice of claim 10, wherein the one or more contact switch elements arearranged on a second layer of the multi-layer substrate.
 12. The inputdevice of claim 11, wherein sensor lines connecting the one or moresensor elements of the first and second types to the pins are arrangedbetween the first layer and the second layer of the multi-layersubstrate.
 13. The input device of claim 9, wherein the substratecomprises a single layer substrate.